The Centre for Culinary Innovation at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is at the forefront of innovation in the Edmonton Region’s — and the world’s — food industry.
With a mixture of urban and rural land (and 2.4 million acres of fertile farmland) the Edmonton Region’s food and agriculture sector is combining tried-and-true farming methods with cutting edge research and development. NAIT’s Centre for Culinary Innovation, is using their unique facility to unite food science with culinary artistry to create innovative, delicious products.
Combining their expertise in food and beverage product development with Edmonton Region’s crops, the Centre is innovating across any and every food category
Linda Ho, NAIT’s Applied Research Chair in Agri-food Sustainability, and the Centre for Culinary Innovation’s lead food scientist, said that the Centre is a space that can combine the need for nutrition with making food taste good.
“As a food scientist, I can make things that are functional — things that are as nutritious as possible — but the difference for NAIT is that culinary expertise. We have the chefs that can develop the flavour, the texture — the experience of food. It’s working together and weaving our expertise together that makes us so special.”
Besides NAIT’s access to culinary talent, the Centre for Culinary Innovation also has access to an array of locally grown foods.
“We have all our own raw ingredients. We have access to the best ingredients in Alberta and it’s just about trying to add value to those ingredients.”
The Region’s access to local food and talent allows the Centre for Culinary Innovation to take on a wide array of projects.
From a grant for over $1 million from PrairiesCAN for collaborative work between multiple of NAIT’s Applied Research Centres on the reduction of waste, to developing pulse-based miso paste and a plant-based cream liqueur with Hansen Distillery, NAIT’s Centre for Culinary Innovation is supporting the growth of plant-based food options in the Edmonton Region.
As for why the Centre has focused on plant-based foods, Ho answered “why not?”
“We understand the market relatively well and what would and wouldn’t fit,” Ho said. “The market is asking for choice … We have to find a way to fill that demand.”
“There can be innovation in meat, as well. If there’s someone who has an idea in how to value-add meat and they require help, we’re here. We’re set up to help with that as well.”
Canada is the largest producer of pulse crops and accounts for 1/4 of the world’s supply of dry peas — Alberta has the highest yields of dry peas, faba beans and oats across the prairies.
“We produce a lot of pulses in the Edmonton Region, and we export a lot of it. But when we’re already growing it, why aren’t we also utilizing it and showing off how great our pulses are alongside our beef?”
The Edmonton Region’s rich agricultural landscape provides a strong foundation for food innovation. The abundance of local ingredients leaves an opportunity for expansion — investment into primary processing infrastructure.
“The Region’s biggest gap is in our primary manufacturing,” Ho said. “We have all the ingredients here; we just need to process them … I think adding that is really important to help grow the Region.
Ho added that locally cultivated peas and beans are currently split outside of the Region due to a lack of infrastructure — a critical gap in the Region’s food supply that can lead to inefficiencies in food processing as well as increased costs.
With the world’s growing population, food production and innovation are critical to creating a sustainable and flavourful future. Addressing supply chain gaps is a critical step in ensuring that future.
By working partners across the region including post-secondaries, corporate partners (like Hansen distillery), publicly funded organizations (like Leduc’s Food Processing Development Centre), and local innovators, the Centre for Culinary Innovation is a great example of how NAIT is working with the community to drive innovation — one locally-sourced ingredient at a time.
